


absolute hope birthday

by floraphyl



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School
Genre: F/M, I'm Sorry, In honor of Kirigiri's birthday, Post Future Foundation Killing Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 11:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8247740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floraphyl/pseuds/floraphyl
Summary: Kirigiri's birthday was soon and all she wanted was a bouquet of lilies.





	

“What do you mean you’re not coming home for the day?” Kirigiri asked while sitting on the plush sofa, twirling a strand of her straight lavender hair.

She was on the phone with her newly-wed husband, Naegi. “Sorry Kirigiri, but even if it’s technically the students’ break, I still have to attend headmaster meetings with the board, and today is going to be a really busy da-” Naegi’s voice was suddenly cut off. Kirigiri heard the sound of a click followed by her setting down her cellphone. She heaved out a heavy sigh while staring at the calendar. October 6th was circled with a fat red sharpie marker. Why was that day so relevant? It was Kirigiri’s birthday; actually her first birthday she would celebrate with Naegi as a married couple.

Kirigiri didn’t want anything special, as she always had been a modest being. But, if he presented her with a bouquet of purple lilies, she would take Naegi on the spot. She had been called multiple flowers: lilac, violet, lavender, but Kirigiri had a special attraction towards lilies. Even if they were a charming and exquisite flower, it signified death and mourning.  

Kirigiri was a lily. She had been diagnosed with cancer not so long ago. Seiko’s __Antagonist__ “antidote,” turned out to have side effects. It was quite ironic, the medicine that had saved Kirigiri’s life had put her in death’s hands, again.  

The doctors had told her she had a malignant tumor growth in her small intestine. Most likely, due to failure of the medicine’s absorption which had transformed into a mutation.

The problem was, she never told Naegi. Kirigiri was too self-dependent and humble. She thought she could have fixed her problem on her own, just like she always had as a detective. She was not the type to bring other people down with her. If she was pulled into this hell-hole alone, she’d get out alone.

Kirigiri didn’t know how much time she had left, though. The doctors never justified the date. She could have collapsed that same minute due to the rarity of the drug she had ingested.

That’s why she felt her birthday was important to celebrate; she just didn’t have that much time left.

A split second later, her cellphone vibrated with the notification ping. It was a text from Naegi. “Don’t worry. I didn’t forget your birthday. Did you want something?” the small black text said.

Kirigiri texted back, “I don’t want anything in particular if you’re so busy, but some flowers would have been nice.” Kirigiri tried to have a passive tone. She didn’t want drama with her lover, especially when her birthday was near.

Naegi chuckled from the other side of the phone screen. "Huh, maybe next year. Flowers don't grow around this time," he texted back and added a smiley face, something Naegi would do when he was sorry.

She faintly smiled down at her phone, being content with the thought behind the text, but her heart still sunk.

* * *

A year had gone by now.

Just barely a month before Kirigiri’s birthday, her body failed, followed by her death. 

It went a little like this, 

She just fainted.

Naegi was scared - so, so scared. His twenty three year old wife fainted, and he doesn't know why. She's so young - why did she fall on the ground? Why was she unconscious? His memories brought him back to the Future Foundation Killing game, when Kirigiri’s life was in peril condition. He thought her life had slipped away back then and he didn’t want that same heavy weight on his heart again. She said she would always be besides Naegi and told him to never give up on hope while clutching his hands with her own scarred ones. Naegi had not other option but to put faith in her words once again.

Clinging onto the last sliver of hope, he immediately took Kirigiri’s limp body to the hospital -  the nearest one being forty minutes away, and the only thing he thought was, " _ _Please, don't die.__ "

Although he tried his best to look forward to a bright future, he was terrified, shaking, actually. Naegi wanted to vomit. 

While the nurses took away Kirigiri’s now ice-cold body on the gurney, Naegi felt he was the one facing death.

But, the only option was to wait. And he waited.

And waited.

Waited so long.

Everything was going so slow for Naegi. Time was stopping, and suddenly he imagined a life without Kirigiri, and a wave of grief washed over him.

It took the doctors exactly an hour and fifteen minutes – yes, he counted – to tell him what the current situation was.

“Her cancer is in its latest stage. I’m afraid she’s struggling onto the last hours of her life right now” the doctor told him.

Naegi fell back onto the metal seat – the seat he sat on for the longest hour in his life. The worst hour in his life. The hour that changed his life for the worst.

"We're going to operate on her. We need you to sign the release forms."

 _ _Cancer. Cancer. Cancer.__  

Why the hell didn't she tell him? His hands raked his scalp, and his spiky brown hair became a thorny mess - no, he, as a whole, became a mess.

"O-of course," was the only words Naegi could emit while shakily signing his signature.

Kirigiri was in the operating room after that.

And he was mad. And sad. And the only thing he wanted to do was yell and lash out at all the nurses and doctors that had talked to him.

Some point during the night, he found himself in the chapel of the hospital. He wasn't religious, mind you, but he didn't know what else to do. He remembered his now-deceased mother always telling him that God was everywhere and He would listen to everyone's prayer. Maybe He would take a moment and hear Naegi out. 

"Please, God... save her," he prayed the whole night struggling to be on hope’s side. 

He really wanted to hold Kirigiri again after that night. He wanted to take her back home, make love to her and tell her everything was alright now.

Tell her that it was okay - he wasn't mad that she didn't tell him about the cancer. It was alright, because he had known her for five years and respected her. After all, she was a detective, a determined fighter - she knew what she was doing if she decided not to tell Naegi.

Several hours had gone by.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do at this point, sir. I’m so sorry.” The doctor had told Naegi after the operation attempt.

__S_ _ __h_ _ __e’s dead_ _ __._ _

Kirigiri’s gone for good now and all Naegi could do was scream into oblivion.

* * *

 

Naegi went to her funeral wearing the darkest suit he found in their once shared closet.

It occurred on the small patch of green land near the newly rebuilt Hopes Peak Academy, the school they built together. The despair sunk in once he looked up at the dark sky filled with rumbling clouds, holding tears ready to fall. It’s as if the whole world was mourning for Kirigiri. The grief and desolation hung in the air like a thin layer of cotton, which draped over Naegi and didn’t keep the cold feeling away. There were no smiles from the remembrance of Kirigiri – not even stories Naegi remembered about the sun-lit days he spent with her could make him smile.

There was only sorrow. Only sorrow over the loss of his deceased wife. It felt as if time itself was standing still; that this was just the horrible nightmare which Naegi had thought he escaped.  

She didn’t even have any living relatives. Kizakura’s sacrifice had gone to waste. The only people attending the funeral were the former members of the 78th class, including himself. He wasn't ready to say goodbye, just yet – so he walked to the back of the line to give his condolences with a wrapped item in his hand. Naegi’s eyes had been completely void and hazy, which had been hidden under his brown bangs.

When his turn came, he slowly placed his hand over the casket which held his deceased wife. He stared at Kirigiri’s portrait – framed in the shiniest gold – with sullen eyes. She wore a gentle smile on her face, her eyes filled with hope with a hint of determination. 

__“_ _ __There were so many things we had to do together._ _ __”_ _ __

__“_ _ __We planned out our whole life, our children, and their future._ _ __”_ _ __

Naegi cringed, trying to resist the deep regret in his heart, “ _ _I’m sorry; we didn’t even get to celebrate your first birthday together as a married couple.__ _ _”__  Naegi couldn’t express his feelings, he truly loved her, and he should have treated her like a princess. He owed her for putting up with his denseness throughout all these years.

Naegi didn’t cry. Rather, his eyes were empty. He gave his blessings to Kirigiri’s well being and let their closest friend, Asahina, lean on his shoulder, as she endlessly sobbed and choked through tears because her best friend was gone for good.

* * *

 

When they lowered Kirigiri’s casket into the dark ground, never to see her face again, Naegi was there too. And even then, he still didn’t cry.

He placed his hand on her headstone, softly whispering, "Kirigiri..." Naegi whispered, kneeling on the ground.

He wanted an answer, but knew he shouldn't expect one. “I miss you,” he murmured, his voice cracking. “I regret everything and miss you, a lot.” Naegi flinched back, falling on the muddy ground. The clouds kept rumbling above him, and he wondered why it still wasn't raining.

He gulped and took a deep breath, his hands grasping the wrapped present tightly. "I know this might be very early, but I have something for you." Naegi placed the small bouquet of lilies in front of her headstone. He handpicked it himself (although he wasn't sure which ones they were, so Komaru helped him).

"Happy birthday," he breathed out, pausing for a moment and taking in a breath. "Do you like them?" He whispered again.

He wanted something – some reassurance.

Anything.

Water began to fall, but it wasn't raining. Tears fell down from his eyes, blurring the image of her headstone. 

As a breeze passed by him, he felt the hope Kirigiri had entrusted Naegi with embracing him.

But, he couldn’t stop shaking.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really, truly sorry.
> 
> I wrote this for Kirigiri's birthday which had just past. It was a pretty day. I was walking to school and the sky was foggy. As if God wanted to let the whole world know it was Kirigiri's birthday.


End file.
